It’s Another Award for Kevin O’Connell
The Minnesota Vikings had a marvelous 2024 campaign, at least for the first 16 games. Head coach Kevin O’Connell took a team that was expected to compete for draft position rather than playoff seeding to a 14-3 record and a postseason berth.
It’s Another Award for Kevin O’Connell
Not only did he get more out of his team than anyone expected, but he also got more out of quarterback Sam Darnold. O’Connell is a master at managing quarterbacks, and he is a major asset for the organization when it comes to implementing a culture. All of that landed him the Coach of the Year trophy earlier this year. He was the second Viking to win that trophy, following in the footsteps of legendary Bud Grant.
This week, he got another accolade, as he was named the 2025 Horrigan Award winner.
Lindsey Young wrote on the Vikings’ official website: “O’Connell has been named the 2025 Horrigan Award Winner, the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) announced Friday. The honor comes on the heels of his third season at the Vikings helm, during which he led Minnesota to a 14-3 record in the regular season and appearance in the postseason. According to the PFWA, the award is given annually to a league, club or other official for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job.”
The PFWA noted: “Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell, lauded for his professional dealings with the media who cover the Vikings and the NFL, has been selected as the 2025 Horrigan Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA). O’Connell, the 53rd Horrigan Award winner, is the first member of the Vikings franchise to receive the award. O’Connell is the first head coach to win the Horrigan since Ron Rivera with the Washington Commanders in 2023.”
The Vikings hired O’Connell in the 2022 offseason after a flirt with Jim Harbaugh. Three years later, we have enough of a sample size to confirm that the club made a wonderful decision to acquire O’Connell over all the other candidates.
Other finalists for the Horrigan Award this year:
- Los Angeles Rams president Kevin Demoff
- 49ers general manager John Lynch
- NFL VP of communications Brian McCarthy
- NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent.
More from the PFWA: “O’Connell was recognized for his openness and helpfulness with reporters. He routinely gives one-on-one interviews, meets regularly with beat writers for off-the-record discussions, provides thoughtful explanations for his decisions after games, and he creates an environment where both players and assistant coaches – like Grant Udinski, the assistant QB coach who became the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator – feel free to tell their stories.”
Udinski was an unexpected story coming out of the Twin Cities. He was viewed as a hidden gem, managing McCarthy and other QBs behind the scenes, but the jump from assistant OC and assistant QB coach to offensive coordinator was surprising. He will work under Liam Coen, the new Jaguars head coach.
Back to O’Connell. It’s rare to find a football coach who can build a culture, is a smart offensive mind and has the communication skills that are applauded by both the media and the players.
“From the moment Kevin arrived in Minnesota, he has treated the local and national media with honesty, thoughtfulness and respect for our jobs,” said ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert, the PFWA Minnesota chapter president. “We couldn’t expect anything else.”
In the upcoming O’Connell will be asked to provide guidance for first-time starter J.J. McCarthy at the quarterback position. He is, undoubtedly, the right man for that job.
The head coach earned a contract extension in January and will be the man in charge for years to come.
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